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Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District special election (February 18, 2020 Democratic primary)

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Tricia Zunker defeated Lawrence Dale in the Democratic primary election for Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District on February 18, 2020. Zunker received 89% of the vote to Dale’s 11%. Zunker advanced to the district's special general election on May 12. The special election was called to fill the vacancy left by Sean Duffy's (R) September 2019 resignation.

Dale, an insurance salesperson, previously ran as a Green Party candidate for Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District in 2014 and as a Democratic candidate for District 34 of the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2016. His priorities included transitioning the area’s timber pulp industry to hemp pulp, growing the local farming industry, and passing Medicare for All.[1] Zunker, an associate justice of the Ho-Chunk Nation Supreme Court and member of the Wausau School Board, said that she would be a voice in Washington for local farmers and work to improve public education.[2][3] She stated that she was "in favor of Medicare for All for those who want it."[4] Zunker received endorsements from the Democratic Party of Wisconsin and the 7th Congressional District Democratic Party.[5] For more information about the candidates, click here.

Duffy, who was first elected in 2010, won his last election in 2018 by a margin of about 22 percentage points.

There were 10 special elections called during the 116th Congress. Eight were called for seats in the U.S. House, and two for seats in the U.S. Senate. From the 113th Congress to the 115th Congress, 40 special elections were held. For more data on historical congressional special elections, click here.

Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District includes Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Clark, Douglas, Florence, Forest, Iron, Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, Oneida, Polk, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, St. Croix, Taylor, Vilas, and Washburn counties. Portions of Chippewa, Jackson, Juneau, Monroe, and Wood counties are also in the district.[6]

Republican Party For more information about the Republican primary, click here.
Grey.png For more information about the general election, click here.

Click here for coverage of the regularly scheduled election in Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District.

Election procedure changes in 2020

See also: Changes to election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.

Political party events in Wisconsin were modified as follows:

  • Political party events: The Republican Party of Wisconsin postponed its state convention, originally scheduled to take place in May, to July 10-11.

For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.


Candidates and election results

Democratic primary election

Special Democratic primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 7

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Tricia Zunker
Tricia Zunker
 
88.9
 
35,577
Image of Lawrence Dale
Lawrence Dale
 
11.0
 
4,388
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
34

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 39,999
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Candidate profiles

See also: Editorial approach to writing about key campaign messages
Lawrence Dale

Image of Lawrence Dale

FacebookYouTube

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Biography:  Lawrence Dale received a bachelor’s degree in government from Ohio University and a master’s degree in industrial and labor relations from the University of Oregon’s College of Business. He served in the U.S. Army and was deployed to Vietnam. As of his 2020 campaign, Dale had worked in meat product sales and insurance sales. He was a Green Party candidate for Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District in 2014 and a Democratic candidate for District 34 of the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2016.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Dale said that the district was losing pulp and paper industry jobs and that his plans for a Green New Deal would transition the industry to the "exciting new multi faceted profit making potential embodied in hemp production."

Dale said he would grow the area’s farm sector through a corporate cooperative business model of meat product sales. His campaign website described him as having a “personal, passionate commitment to create new family farm based business opportunities.”

Dale supported Bernie Sanders’ Medicare for All plan.

Show sources

Sources: Youtube, “Substituting biodegradable hemp utensils, for plastics, is it commercially viable?,” November 18, 2019 Lawrence Dale 2020 Campaign Website, “Platform,” accessed December 8, 2019 Wausau Daily Herald, “7th Congressional District: Tricia Zunker, Lawrence Dale become first Democrats to enter race,” October 14, 2019; Lawrence Dale 2020 Campaign Website, “About Lawrence Dale,” accessed December 8, 2019

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Wisconsin District 7 in 2020.

Tricia Zunker

Image of Tricia Zunker

WebsiteFacebookTwitter

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: Wausau School Board (Assumed office: 2018) Ho-Chunk Supreme Court (Assumed office: 2013)

Biography:  Tricia Zunker received a B.A. in French, political science, and international relations from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. As of her 2020 campaign, Zunker practiced and taught law and served on the board of directors of the ACLU of Wisconsin.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Zunker said that healthcare was a right and that she was "in favor of Medicare for All for those who want it."

Zunker said she would fight for policies she said would help local farmers, including fair markets, enforcing trade agreements, and "providing access to timely loans and ending predatory lending practices."

Zunker said there was a need to "adequately fund our public schools and make early childhood education a reality for all students."

Show sources

Sources: Tricia Zunker 2020 Campaign Website, "Issues," accessed December 17, 2019 Facebook, “Tricia Zunker for Wisconsin,” November 8, 2019; Tricia Zunker 2020 Campaign Website, “Tricia Zunker, a Voice for the People,” accessed December 8, 2019 LinkedIn, “Tricia Zunker,” accessed December 8, 2019 ACLU Wisconsin, “Tricia Zunker,” accessed December 20, 2019

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Wisconsin District 7 in 2020.

Endorsements

Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at editor@ballotpedia.org.

Democratic primary endorsements
Endorsement Dale Zunker
Elected officials
U.S. Rep. Debra Haaland (D-N.M.)[7] ✔
State Sen. Janet Bewley (D)[7] ✔
State Sen. Patty Schachtner (D)[7] ✔
State Rep. Nick Milroy (D)[7] ✔
State Rep. Beth Meyers (D)[7] ✔
Individuals
2018 Democratic nominee for Wisconsin's 1st Congressional District Randy Bryce (D)[7] ✔
Organizations
Democratic Party of Wisconsin[5] ✔
Wisconsin 7th Congressional District Democratic Party[5] ✔
Citizen Action of Wisconsin[8] ✔
Wisconsin AFL-CIO[9] ✔
United Steelworkers District 2[10] ✔
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 388[11] ✔


Timeline

  • January 30, 2020: Dale and Zunker participated in a debate hosted by Wisconsin Public Radio.
  • January 29, 2020: Dale and Zunker participated in a candidate forum hosted by the Citizen Action of Wisconsin's North Central Organizing Co-op at the Wausau Labor Temple.[12]
  • January 27, 2020: The Wausau Daily Herald published a questionnaire completed by Dale and Zunker.
  • November 13, 2019: Zunker released an ad titled Big Voice.
  • October 24, 2019: WSAW published video interviews with Dale and Zunker.

Campaign themes

The following campaign themes and policy positions were found on candidates' campaign websites.

Lawrence Dale

“
Stop CAFOs: Join Fight to Save the Small Family
Dairy Farms and place a Moratorium on expansion of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation expansion

We must make the February 16th Special election and the entire Special Election process a Referendum on the Republicans' Party leadership's role in their obvious collusion with Big Agriculture interest' CAFOs that are destroying thousands of small , environmental sustainable small businesses in the Dairy Sector.

As the investigative Report cited below which was recently published by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, we know that the State's Republican "leadership knew the following:

1. Taking away Home Rule and giving the right to locate up to 6,000 or more cows next door to any given Wisconsin citizen's private property effectively violates our Constitutional Rights to Life Liberty and the pursuit of happiness. This policy effectively outlaws our ability to protect our communities from known dangerous health hazards and hives CAFOs the right of eminent domain allowing them to move into Wisconsin neighborhoods unchallenged by elected local community officials as the Report below describes;

2. The Report also describes the Republican leadership initiative, 2012's Grow Wisconsin Dairy which duped small dairy operations to increase the supply of raw milk at a time when there was no growing demand and at a time when family farms were closing due to oversupply. Given this Report, the evidence is clear: the Republican Party leadership has colluded with their Big Agriculture CAFO contributors to throw the small family farm operations under the bus so that CAFOs can take over their share of the market.

https://www.jsonline.com/in-depth/news/special-reports/dairy-crisis/2019/12/06/industrial-dairy-impacts-wisconsin-environment-family-farms/4318671002/

Lawrence's Green New Deal: Democratizing the 7th’s Farm Sector
Transitioning from Timber to Hemp Pulp

Too many jobs are being lost in the pulp and paper industry in the 7th District. Lawrence’s Green New Deal has plans for exploiting the exciting new multi faceted profit making potential embodied in hemp production. Once elected , Lawrence will direct his staff to research federal, state, tribal and foundation sources to fund multiple commercially viable cooperative manufacturing ventures. But before that, professionally researched feasibility studies will be commissioned to determine the best high demand and most sustainable employment products derived from raw hemp. In Germany, for example, manufacturers now use hemp pulp to fashion molding for auto interiors.

Read More about Lawrence's Platform:Green New Deal (continued)

Part 2 of Lawrence's Green New Deal
Bringing Profits Back to the Farm: Growing New Family Farm Businesses

Lawrence completed a comprehensive feasibility study titled: “Report on the Feasibility of Building a Commercially Viable Slaughterhouse, Meat Processing, Direct Marketing Farm Cooperative"). His study was found to be commercially viable then by an expert cooperative agriculture economist from North Dakota State University. It proved it could be commercially viable for a farmers' cooperative using a corporate cooperative business model, could capture enough of a niche market from the multi-million dollar high demand meat products market to be profitable. And once the cooperative was operational, it could create hundreds of new family farm businesses in our District. Why? Because there are numerous cost saving advantages that small farm operations have over factory farms in this particular product line.

Read More about Lawrence's Platform:Green New Deal #2 (continued)

Medicare for All

The number one cause of bankruptcies for Americans over age 50 is the inability to pay medical bills, especially after becoming seriously ill which is when more expensive medical measures need to be taken.On a per capita basis, American expenditure for health care is double that of Canadians who have free healthcare. Medicare for All would also provide Long Term Care (LTC) coverage.To be eligible for LTC in Wisconsin, one has to go through the indignity of liquidating all their assets down to only $2,000 in order to be eligible for the Family Care LTC program.

See Medicare For All Plan at: Bernie's Plan

Read More about Lawrence's Platform:Medicare for All (continued)

Lawrence will Fight for Universal Pre-K for 3 and 4 year olds

We know that all the best peer reviewed studies of the Pre K find that three and four year olds do better academically and socially if they attend Pre K taught by professional educators. Pre-K’s purpose is to help our children learn cooperative behaviors when dealing with other children and adults in resolving differences. It is important that 3 and 4 year old children learn at that tender age how to settle conflicts with other children and adults in a respectful, civil manner.

As your Congressman, Lawrence will collaborate with state, federal, tribal, educators and others to initiate the fight to make universal free Pre K available to all 3 and 4 year olds. Pre K will require hundreds of new, certified Pre-K teachers. Once implemented, this job creation stimulus will generate millions of new dollars flowing through our District's economy.

Stop Corporate Interference in Our Elections.

The U.S Supreme Court ruled in 2010 in a case entitled: Citizens United v. U.S. Federal Elections Commission,that corporations are permitted to use unlimited corporate treasuries to interfere in our democratic elections.

Citizens United is, a Koch fortune sponsored organization.The extremist Kochs' specialize in spreading distortions, misinformation and lies against opposing candidates in order to promote their own climate change denying commercial interests.They accomplish this by spending their fortune financing "climate change deniers", by financing right wing Tea Party organizations to rationalize corporate welfare and also fund pseudo Christian fanatics to stir up hate against Koch's proxy(s) political opponents.

Read More about Lawrence's Platform:Citizen United#2

Legalize Marijuana

Lawrence will support Congressional legislation to decriminalize marijuana and purge all felony records of those convicted exclusively of marijuana possession and distribution.

Marijuana has been extensively vetted in many states and legalized because no medical evidence could be found indicating it is harmful in any way. Most states that have legalized marijuana heavily regulate and tax the producers and retailers. Nevertheless, it's legalization in Wisconsin would create hundreds of new employment opportunities and provide millions of new tax dollars to our State Treasury. This new source of revenue could provide needed resources to fund programs such as free universal Pre K creating hundreds if not thousands of new , good paying teaching jobs.

It is patently wrong to continue the practice of making felons out of those who are caught with a substance that causes no harm.[13]

”
—Lawrence Dale[14]

Tricia Zunker

“

Issues

Healthcare

Healthcare is a right. No one should die because they can’t afford to go to the doctor; people should not go bankrupt because they can’t afford their medication. We need to ensure everyone has access to quality, affordable health insurance and we must empower people to make their own health decisions. I am in favor of Medicare for All for those who want it, and I support measures to increase healthcare coverage. On the campaign trail, I have met many people here in Northern Wisconsin who want to keep their private insurance, including hard-working members of our unions who have fought hard for their health insurance. I will also fight to protect coverage for those with pre-existing conditions. We need to ensure any healthcare reform does not reduce their coverage and control costs. And we need to legalize medical marijuana because no one should be forced to suffer from a health condition or side effect that can be relieved through its use.

Corporate special interests and Washington politicians allowed the costs of prescription drugs to skyrocket out of control. We need to take on Big Pharma and lower the costs of prescription drugs. If a medication only costs $3 to make, they should not be able to sell it for $1000. That is just plain wrong.

I am also a fierce defender of a woman’s right to choose and to make her own health decisions. And when we talk about health care, we must also include accessible mental health care. We need to remove the stigma surrounding mental health issues and make sure people can seek the treatment they need.

Here in the 7th District, we need to make sure that we fund our hospitals and medical services, especially to serve rural communities and to ensure access to critical medical needs, including maternal healthcare and emergency healthcare.

Finally, we need to make sure that we continue to be taking care of our veterans. The United States has an obligation to support our veterans and that includes having efficient, accessible medical services. We need to reform the VA and ensure that our service members have the support they have earned and deserve.

Farm Crisis

Here in Wisconsin and in the 7th District, our farmers are at the core of our communities and have worked tirelessly to move the economy forward. Right now, they are facing a farm crisis. As the granddaughter of a dairy farmer, I saw firsthand the hard work our family farmers do. I am a vocal supporter of our small family farms here in Northern Wisconsin. Our rural communities are enduring hardship and stress at alarming rates. We must fight for them to have the support they need. We must also fight for fair, competitive markets and to enforce our trade agreements. The current trade war is hitting our farmers in Wisconsin hard and harming their livelihood. We need to support our family farms, including providing access to timely loans and ending predatory lending practices. It is also important to me that we combat the mental health crisis facing many of our farmers and must also ensure accessible mental health assistance for them. We must invest in our family farms and encourage innovation to preserve the Wisconsin family farms for generations to come.

Education & Children

I am a first generation college graduate. My Ho-Chunk grandma once told me “Education is the one thing they can never take away from you” and she spoke from personal experience. We must adequately fund our public schools and make early childhood education a reality for all students. We must ensure that students do not go hungry – hungry students cannot learn. Students must be given a fair shot at success through equitable practices and ensuring opportunity. Children are our future and we must give them opportunities for a healthy, successful future.

Higher education must be made accessible and affordable. We need to begin to tackle the growing student debt crisis. We need to continue to encourage affordable community colleges and trade schools. We should also be promoting jobs in the skilled trades and technical field.

Our children are entitled to safety, whether that is in school or in society generally. As a mother and school board president, I see our students participate in active shooter drills. This is not the environment we want our students to be learning in. The epidemic of school shootings must end. We need common sense gun legislation to protect our children. I fully support the Second Amendment. People should certainly be permitted to defend themselves in their homes and, of course, they should be permitted to hunt with appropriate firearms. We need to keep guns out of the hands of people who will use them to hurt others. We have a duty to provide safe schools and safe communities for our children and we are failing right now without common sense gun reform.

We also must make sure that our educators are treated with the respect they deserve and valued for the important work they do. This must be reflected in the pay they receive and the conditions in which they work.

Children who were brought here by their parents deserve these same rights. This is their home and our DREAMers should be able to receive an education and be provided a pathway to citizenship.

Standing up for Working People & Protecting Equality

The people of Northern Wisconsin wake up every day and go to work, but because of politicians who cater to corporate interests and rig the system against them, working-class Americans have been left behind. In Congress, I will fight to create good-paying union jobs here in Wisconsin and oppose proposed laws that hurt workers.

I will also defend not only equal rights, but equal opportunity. That means access to quality schools, equitable education and employment opportunities, quality and affordable healthcare, and end to discrimination. I will fight for women to ensure that they get equal pay for equal work, proper, legal treatment in the workplace and I will fight for paid family leave. I will also stand up for a women’s healthcare. I am a strong advocate for our LGBTQ+ community and will ensure they receive equal rights and opportunities. In Congress, I will also be a voice for our minority and underrepresented communities and give everyone in Wisconsin the opportunity to succeed. I will stand up for our marginalized communities and fight hard against policies of continued oppression. And I will be a strong defender of tribal sovereignty, ensuring that we not only protect sovereignty, but strengthen it.

We are in this together.

The Economy & Infrastructure

In order for Northern Wisconsin to thrive, it is critical that we invest to build a diverse and energetic regional economy that strengthens the middle class by focusing on manufacturing, small business owners, our farmers, education and career training. Government should bring together our businesses, educators and community leaders to develop and find solutions.

All across the district, consumers and our local communities are struggling to pay the bills. We need to increase the money in people’s pockets by increasing the minimum wage and creating good-paying jobs here in Northern Wisconsin. We also need to end unfair tax giveaways to big corporations and push for smart tax policies that will allow us to implement a real infrastructure plan to fix our aging and broken roads, bridges, and water systems. We also need to increase access to affordable childcare. As a single mother, I know the reality of not being able to secure childcare while still needing to support my household. We must make sure that there are childcare opportunities for our working parents.

The 7th District needs an advocate that is committed to fighting for resources for our underserved communities.

Environment

I believe we have an obligation and a duty to protect the environment for generations to come. Growing up, my family didn’t have money for vacations and expensive outings – we enjoyed the free, beautiful outdoors at places like the Dells of the Eau Claire Park. That’s why it was important to me to launch my campaign there. We must ensure clean air and clean water and we must ensure that our beautiful lands stay protected. We cannot let corporate mining interests destroy our beautiful lands. We cannot let corporations and CAFOs contaminate our water and lands with unchecked practices. In addition to fighting for our environment, we must also begin to tackle emissions and climate change to protect the environment for our children and grandchildren.

Campaign Finance Reform

I’m running to be a voice for the people of Wisconsin, not special interests and corporate lobbyists. Because of Citizens United, campaigns are becoming more expensive, and citizens who would make strong representatives are finding it harder and harder to run for office as a result. In order for our government to become more representative, and accountable to their constituents, we need serious campaign finance reform.

Unlike my Republican opponents, I refuse to accept a dime in corporate PAC money. We’re going to deliver a fair deal to the people of Wisconsin and end special deals for corporations and special interests.

Criminal Justice Reform

A few years ago, I published an academic article in a legal journal regarding human rights and prisoners. A society is judged by how it treats its prisoners and we have a serious public health crisis occurring with the spread of communicable diseases first in jails and prisons, then out into our communities. One thing I learned in my research is the large majority of affected individuals are nonviolent drug offenders. Let’s get them out of the prisons and give them a future.

We need to address the disproportionate rate of incarceration of minority communities. We must end the epidemic of crimeless revocations and invest in communities, not in prisons. Jails and prisons house more mentally ill individuals than hospitals. We need to get them the help they need. We need to treat people humanely wherever they are detained. Separating families at the border is inhumane and does not reflect who we are as a society.

Recreational marijuana in appropriate amounts should be legalized. We have too many people who are being treated as if they are threats to society for marijuana. Our jails and prisons are overcrowded as a result and there is a surge in for-profit prisons. Criminal justice should never be about profit, ever. Where we can see the revenue stream that benefits society is through marijuana taxation.

Instead, we must seriously address the opioid crisis, reducing violence (including domestic violence and gun violence) and we need to seriously address the murdered and missing indigenous women crisis. We can reduce our prison population and focus efforts on serious crimes when we legalize marijuana. And we can allow people to have a future instead of a record.[13]

”
—Tricia Zunker[15]

Campaign advertisements

This section shows advertisements released in this race. Ads released by campaigns and, if applicable, satellite groups are embedded or linked below. If you are aware of advertisements that should be included, please email us.

Tricia Zunker

Support

"Big Voice" – Zunker campaign, November 13, 2019

Campaign finance

The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Lawrence Dale Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Tricia Zunker Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2020. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.
*** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.


Interviews and questionnaires

Click the links below to view candidates' responses to questionnaires and to see interviews.

Debates and forums

January 30, 2020

Dale and Zunker participated in a debate hosted by Wisconsin Public Radio.

Audio:

Coverage:

January 29, 2020

Dale and Zunker participated in a forum hosted by the Citizen Action of Wisconsin's North Central Organizing Co-op at the Wausau Labor Temple.

Coverage:

Social media

Twitter accounts

This section includes Twitter feeds from the candidates where available.

Facebook accounts

Click the icons below to visit the candidates' Facebook pages.

Democratic Party Lawrence Dale Facebook

Democratic Party Tricia Zunker Facebook

Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Twenty-three of 72 Wisconsin counties—32 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County Trump margin of victory in 2016 Obama margin of victory in 2012 Obama margin of victory in 2008
Adams County, Wisconsin 21.92% 8.73% 18.35%
Buffalo County, Wisconsin 21.82% 2.93% 14.66%
Columbia County, Wisconsin 2.14% 13.58% 15.26%
Crawford County, Wisconsin 5.40% 19.98% 27.03%
Door County, Wisconsin 3.22% 6.99% 17.33%
Dunn County, Wisconsin 11.09% 4.97% 14.95%
Forest County, Wisconsin 26.58% 5.44% 15.16%
Grant County, Wisconsin 9.43% 13.77% 23.88%
Jackson County, Wisconsin 11.74% 15.01% 21.84%
Juneau County, Wisconsin 26.05% 7.03% 9.00%
Kenosha County, Wisconsin 0.31% 12.23% 18.06%
Lafayette County, Wisconsin 8.99% 15.37% 22.32%
Lincoln County, Wisconsin 20.60% 0.71% 12.48%
Marquette County, Wisconsin 24.09% 0.27% 5.28%
Pepin County, Wisconsin 23.08% 2.22% 12.89%
Price County, Wisconsin 25.00% 0.04% 13.40%
Racine County, Wisconsin 4.28% 3.54% 7.41%
Richland County, Wisconsin 5.50% 16.13% 20.63%
Sauk County, Wisconsin 0.35% 18.47% 23.04%
Sawyer County, Wisconsin 18.41% 0.49% 6.23%
Trempealeau County, Wisconsin 12.64% 14.08% 26.39%
Vernon County, Wisconsin 4.43% 14.73% 22.00%
Winnebago County, Wisconsin 7.34% 3.73% 11.66%

In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Wisconsin with 47.2 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 46.5 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Wisconsin cast votes for the winning presidential candidate 76.7 percent of the time. In that same time frame, Wisconsin supported Republicans slightly more than Democratic candidates, 50.0 to 46.7 percent. The state, however, favored Democrats in every presidential election from 2000 to 2012 before voting for Trump in 2016.

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state Assembly districts in Wisconsin. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[16][17]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 43 out of 99 state Assembly districts in Wisconsin with an average margin of victory of 34.1 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 36 out of 99 state Assembly districts in Wisconsin with an average margin of victory of 34.6 points. Clinton won three districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 56 out of 99 state Assembly districts in Wisconsin with an average margin of victory of 12.1 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 63 out of 99 state Assembly districts in Wisconsin with an average margin of victory of 19.4 points. Trump won two districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections.


District history

2018

See also: Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District election, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Wisconsin District 7

Incumbent Sean Duffy defeated Margaret Engebretson and Ken Driessen in the general election for U.S. House Wisconsin District 7 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Sean Duffy
Sean Duffy (R)
 
60.1
 
194,061
Image of Margaret Engebretson
Margaret Engebretson (D) Candidate Connection
 
38.5
 
124,307
Image of Ken Driessen
Ken Driessen (Direct Participatory Democracy Party)
 
1.4
 
4,416
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.0
 
3

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 322,787
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 7

Margaret Engebretson defeated Brian Ewert in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 7 on August 14, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Margaret Engebretson
Margaret Engebretson Candidate Connection
 
57.3
 
27,194
Image of Brian Ewert
Brian Ewert
 
42.7
 
20,285

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 47,479
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 7

Incumbent Sean Duffy advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 7 on August 14, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Sean Duffy
Sean Duffy
 
100.0
 
60,708

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 60,708
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2016

See also: Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Sean Duffy (R) defeated Mary Hoeft (D) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Duffy defeated Donald Raihala in the Republican primary, while Hoeft defeated Joel Lewis to win the Democratic nomination. The primary elections took place on August 9, 2016.[18][19]

U.S. House, Wisconsin District 7 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngSean Duffy Incumbent 61.7% 223,418
     Democratic Mary Hoeft 38.3% 138,643
Total Votes 362,061
Source: Wisconsin Elections Commission


U.S. House, Wisconsin District 7 Republican Primary, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngSean Duffy Incumbent 89.5% 29,501
Donald Raihala 10.5% 3,456
Total Votes 32,957
Source: Wisconsin Elections and Ethics Commission
U.S. House, Wisconsin District 7 Democratic Primary, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngMary Hoeft 80.7% 27,289
Joel Lewis 19.3% 6,531
Total Votes 33,820
Source: Wisconsin Elections and Ethics Commission

2014

See also: Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District elections, 2014
U.S. House, Wisconsin District 7 General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngSean Duffy Incumbent 59.3% 169,891
     Democratic Kelly Westlund 39.4% 112,949
     Green Lawrence Dale 1.3% 3,686
     Independent Rob Taylor - Write-in 0% 30
     Republican John Schiess - Write-in 0% 5
     N/A Scattering 0% 42
Total Votes 286,603
Source: Wisconsin Government Accountability Board
U.S. House, Wisconsin District 7 Republican Primary, 2014
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngSean Duffy Incumbent 87.6% 25,707
Don Raihala 12.3% 3,607
John Schiess (write-in) 0% 2
Scattering 0.1% 20
Total Votes 29,336
Source: Wisconsin Government Accountability Board

2012

See also: Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District elections, 2012
U.S. House, Wisconsin District 7 General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Pat Kreitlow 43.8% 157,524
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngSean Duffy Incumbent 56.1% 201,720
     Independent Dale Lehner 0% 20
     Miscellaneous N/A 0.1% 405
Total Votes 359,669
Source: Wisconsin Government Accountability Board "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" (dead link)

2010

On November 2, 2010, Sean Duffy won election to the United States House. He defeated Julie M. Lassa (D) and Gary Kauther (Independent No War No Bailout) in the general election.[20]

U.S. House, Wisconsin District 7 General Election, 2010
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngSean Duffy 52.1% 132,551
     Democratic Julie M. Lassa 44.4% 113,018
     Independent No War No Bailout Gary Kauther 3.3% 8,397
     N/A Scattering 0.2% 423
Total Votes 254,389

State profile

See also: Wisconsin and Wisconsin elections, 2019
USA Wisconsin location map.svg

Partisan data

The information in this section was current as of May 7, 2019

Presidential voting pattern

Congressional delegation

State executives

State legislature

Wisconsin Party Control: 1992-2025
Two years of Democratic trifectas  •  Ten years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor R R R R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D
Senate D R R R D D R D D D D R R R R D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
House D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

Wisconsin quick stats
More Wisconsin coverage on Ballotpedia:


Demographic data for Wisconsin
 WisconsinU.S.
Total population:5,767,891316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):54,1583,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:86.5%73.6%
Black/African American:6.3%12.6%
Asian:2.5%5.1%
Native American:0.9%0.8%
Pacific Islander:0%0.2%
Two or more:2.1%3%
Hispanic/Latino:6.3%17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:91%86.7%
College graduation rate:27.8%29.8%
Income
Median household income:$53,357$53,889
Persons below poverty level:15%11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Wisconsin.
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.


See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Lawrence Dale 2020 campaign website, "Platform," accessed December 8, 2019
  2. ↑ Wisconsin Public Radio, "Wausau's Tricia Zunker Aims To Be Wisconsin's First Native American Congresswoman," October 14, 2019
  3. ↑ Facebook, "Tricia Zunker for Wisconsin," November 8, 2019
  4. ↑ Tricia Zunker 2020 campaign website, "Issues," accessed December 17, 2019
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Wausau Daily Herald, "Sean Duffy endorses Tom Tiffany over Jason Church in Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District," December 19, 2019
  6. ↑ Wisconsin Redistricting Map, "Map," accessed July 24, 2012
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Wausau Daily Herald, "U.S. Chamber of Commerce endorses Tom Tiffany in Republican primary for 7th Congressional District," February 6, 2020
  8. ↑ Citizen Action of Wisconsin, "Citizen Action of Wisconsin endorses Tricia Zunker for Congress District 7 Special Election. Vote Tuesday, February 18th!," February 7, 2020
  9. ↑ Wisconsin State AFL-CIO, "Wisconsin AFL-CIO Endorses Tricia Zunker for 7th Congressional District," February 11, 2020
  10. ↑ Facebook, "Tricia Zunker for Wisconsin on January 23, 2020," accessed January 28, 2020
  11. ↑ Facebook, "Tricia Zunker for Wisconsin on January 31, 2020," accessed February 4, 2020
  12. ↑ Wausau Daily Herald, "7th District forum: Candidates talk immigration, climate change, health care, marijuana legalization at Wausau event," January 29, 2020
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  14. ↑ Lawrence Dale 2020 campaign website, "Platform," accessed January 13, 2020
  15. ↑ Tricia Zunker 2020 campaign website, "Issues," accessed December 16, 2019
  16. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  17. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
  18. ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Candidate Tracking by Office," accessed June 2, 2016
  19. ↑ Politico, "Wisconsin House Primaries Results," August 9, 2016
  20. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013


Wisconsin's current delegation to the United States Congress
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Tammy Baldwin (D)
Ronald Johnson (R)
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District 8
Tony Wied (R)
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